Interactive photo gaming with user ratification

Abstract

A mechanism is disclosed for engaging in interactive photo gaming with user ratification. The mechanism can be used to provide a picture-tag game or other games. In a picture-tag game, for instance, a user designated as “IT” tags another user by capturing a photo of the other user. The photo is then transmitted to a game host, which distributes it to the participating players' devices. Upon receipt of the photo, a device presents the photo and prompts a user to acknowledge that the photo represents the user, i.e., that the user has been tagged. The device then sends the acknowledgement to the game host, and the game host notifies the players who is now designated as IT.

1. A portable device comprising:
 a network interface; 
 a display screen; 
 a processing unit; 
 data storage; and 
 machine language instructions stored in the data storage and executable by the processing unit to allow a user of the device to participate in a picture-tag game, wherein the instructions include (i) instructions for receiving a digital image from a game host via the network interface and prompting the user to enter an acknowledgement that the digital image represents the user and (ii) instructions for transmitting the acknowledgement to the game host via the network interface. 
 
   
   
     2. The portable device of  claim 1 , wherein the network interface is a wireless communication interface arranged to communicate over an air interface. 
   
   
     3. The portable device of  claim 1 , wherein the portable device is a cameraphone. 
   
   
     4. The portable device of  claim 1 , wherein the portable device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of a personal digital assistant (PDA), a camera, and a personal computer. 
   
   
     5. A game host configured to manage a picture-tag game among a plurality of users, each user operating a respective digital camera with a wireless network interface, wherein, in the picture-tag game, one of the users at a time is a designated user (“IT”) and the designated user attempts to tag any other user by capturing a photo of the other user, the game host comprising:
 at least one processor; 
 data storage; 
 participant-data stored in the data storage, the participant-data representing the users' cameras; 
 program logic stored in the data storage and executable by the at least one processor (i) to receive from the designated user's camera a photo that the designated user captured of a given one of the users, (ii) to send the photo to at least the given user's camera, (iii) to receive from at least the given user's camera an acknowledgement that the given user has been tagged and has therefore become the designated user, and (iv) to notify the users who is the designated user. 
 
   
   
     6. A method comprising:
 maintaining in a game host a record of a plurality of cameras that are participating in a picture-tag game, the plurality of cameras including at least a first camera, a second camera and a third camera; 
 receiving into the game host from the first camera a first photo that the first camera captured of a user of the second camera; 
 sending the first photo from the game host to at least the second camera; 
 receiving into the game host, from at least the second camera, a ratification that the user of the second camera has been tagged; 
 receiving into the game host from the second camera a second photo that the second camera captured of a user of the third camera; 
 sending the second photo from the game host to at least the third camera; and 
 receiving into the game host, from at least the third camera, a ratification that the user of the third camera has been tagged. 
 
   
   
     7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein sending the photo from the game host to at least the second camera comprises:
 sending the photo from the game host to the plurality of cameras that are participating in the picture-tag game. 
 
   
   
     8. The method of  claim 6 , wherein sending the photo from the game host to at least the third camera comprises:
 sending the photo from the game host to the plurality of cameras that are participating in the picture-tag game. 
 
   
   
     9. The method of  claim 6 , wherein receiving from at least the second camera the ratification that the user of the second camera has been tagged comprises:
 receiving, from multiple cameras participating in the picture-tag game, the ratification that the user of the second camera has been tagged. 
 
   
   
     10. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 wherein receiving from at least the third camera the ratification that the user of the third camera has been tagged comprises: 
 receiving, from multiple cameras participating in the picture-tag game, the ratification that the user of the third camera has been tagged. 
 
   
   
     11. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 responsive to receiving the ratification that the user of the second camera has been tagged, sending to multiple cameras participating in the picture-tag game a signal indicating that the user of the second camera has been tagged. 
 
   
   
     12. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 receiving the signal into the second camera; and 
 responsively displaying crosshairs on a viewfinder of the second camera. 
 
   
   
     13. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the signal comprises the first photo. 
   
   
     14. The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 receiving the signal into the multiple cameras; and 
 displaying the first photo on a display screen of each camera that receives the signal, to indicate who has been tagged. 
 
   
   
     15. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 responsive to receiving the ratification that the user of the third camera has been tagged, sending to multiple cameras participating in the picture-tag game a signal indicating that the user of the third camera has been tagged. 
 
   
   
     16. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 receiving the signal into the third camera; and 
 responsively displaying crosshairs on a viewfinder of the third camera. 
 
   
   
     17. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the signal comprises the second photo. 
   
   
     18. The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 receiving the signal into the multiple cameras; and 
 displaying the first photo on a display screen of each camera that receives the signal, to indicate who has been tagged. 
 
   
   
     19. The method of  claim 6 , wherein at least one of the first, second and third cameras comprises a cameraphone. 
   
   
     20. The method of  claim 6 , wherein at least one of the first, second and third cameras comprises a device selected from the group consisting of (i) a personal digital assistant (PDA) equipped with image-capture technology and (ii) a notebook computer coupled with a digital camera. 
   
   
     21. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising, at a start of the picture-tag game:
 randomly selecting a user of the first camera; and 
 then sending to multiple cameras participating in the picture-tag game a signal indicative of the user of the first camera. 
 
   
   
     22. The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 receiving the signal into the first camera; and 
 responsively displaying crosshairs in a viewfinder of the first camera. 
 
   
   
     23. A method comprising:
 maintaining in a gaming server a record of a plurality of cameras that are participating in a game, the plurality of cameras including a first camera and one or more others cameras; 
 receiving into the gaming server from the first camera a photo that the first camera captured of a subject; 
 sending the photo from the gaming server to the one or more other cameras; and 
 then receiving, from at least one of the one or more other cameras, a ratification that the photo of the subject has been captured. 
 
   
   
     24. The method of  claim 23 , wherein the subject comprises a user of one of the one or more other cameras. 
   
   
     25. The method of  claim 23 , wherein receiving the ratification that the photo of the subject has been captured comprises receiving a ratification that the photo represents the subject. 
   
   
     26. The method of  claim 23 , wherein the one or more other cameras is multiple cameras. 
   
   
     27. The method of  claim 23 , wherein the game comprises a scavenger hunt. 
   
   
     28. The method of  claim 23 , wherein the game comprises tag. 
   
   
     29. The method of  claim 23 , wherein at least one of the cameras comprises a cameraphone. 
   
   
     30. The method of  claim 23 , wherein at least one of the cameras comprises a device selected from the group consisting of (i) a personal digital assistant (PDA) equipped with image-capture technology and (ii) a notebook computer coupled with a digital camera. 
   
   
     31. A gaming system comprising:
 at least one processor; 
 data storage; 
 participant-data stored in the data storage and indicating multiple game participants; and 
 gaming logic stored in the data storage and executable by the at least one processor to carry out functions comprising, in order:
 (i) receiving, from a first participant, a photo that the first participant captured of a subject, 
 (ii) sending the photo to one or more of the participants, and 
 (iii) receiving from at least one of the one or more participants a ratification that the photo of the subject has been captured.